Senate passes amendment aimed at helping military survivors maintain benefits

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed an amendment aimed at helping military families maintain benefits. Senator Jerry Moran introduced the amendment to the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act “to allow the spouses of members of the Armed Forces to maintain certain benefits even if they remarry after the death of their spouse in military service.”

A news release from Moran’s office said while surviving spouses have certain benefits from the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, under current law, those benefits could be terminated if they remarry before the age of 55.

This was an issue that recently came up with a widow on Wamego who shared her story as part of a FactFinder investigation.

Sen. Moran said his amendment “would make certain (that) surviving spouses maintain access to commissaries and exchanges on U.S. military bases even if they remarry.”

“A survivor who remarries is still a survivor, regardless of when they remarry,” Sen. Moran said. “No survivor should have to choose between getting married again or keeping benefits that are actively supporting their family. This amendment is one piece of the larger puzzle to support military survivors, and I am grateful for its passage.”

Moran’s office said his amendment is part of his comprehensive bill, the Love Lives on Act of 2023, which aims to ensure that military surviving spouses can keep certain benefits provided by the VA and DOD, even if they remarry before the age of 55.

You can read the full text of Moran’s amendment here.

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